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Reflections

“How shall freedom be defended? By arms when it is attacked by arms, by truth when it is attacked by lies, by faith when it is attacked by authoritarian dogma. Always, in the final act, by determination and faith.”

― Archibald MacLeish

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

CHINA:Stop Bullying The Philippines!

"We should always be modest. In our international relations, we Chinese people should get rid of great-power chauvinism resolutely, thoroughly, wholly and completely." Chairman Mao

Tense Standoff!

"Engrave in your heart that the true measure of honor and happiness is to die for the freedom of your country."

Andres Bonifacio

"I wish to show those who deny us patriotism that we know how to die for our country and convictions."

-Jose Rizal (inscribed at Fort Santiago Walls)

"There are no tyrants where there are no slaves."

Jose Rizal

From TIME

(MANILA, Philippines) — The Philippines' largest warship was engaged in a tense standoff with Chinese surveillance vessels Wednesday at a disputed South China Sea shoal, after the ship attempted to arrest Chinese fishermen but was blocked by the surveillance craft.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert Del Rosario has summoned Chinese Ambassador Ma Keqing in an attempt to resolve the impasse diplomatically. Del Rosario's office said in a statement that the Scarborough Shoal "is an integral part of Philippine territory" and Filipino authorities would assert sovereignty over the offshore area.
The Chinese Embassy has accused the Philippine warship of harassing the fishermen.

China and the Philippines both claim ownership of the shoal.

The Spratly Islands south of the shoal are claimed by China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan. The chain of barren islands, reefs and coral outcrops are believed to be in rich in oil and gas and the overlapping claims have long been feared as Asia's next flashpoint for armed conflict. The current standoff began Sunday when a Philippine navy surveillance plane sighted eight Chinese fishing vessels anchored in a lagoon at Scarborough, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said. That prompted the military to deploy its largest warship, the BRP Gregorio del Pilar, which was recently acquired from the United States. On Tuesday, Filipino sailors from the warship boarded the Chinese vessels for an inspection, discovering large amounts of illegally collected coral, giant clams and live sharks inside the first boat, the department said in a statement.

Two Chinese maritime surveillance ships, identified as Zhonggou Haijian 75 and Zhonggou Haijian 84, later approached and positioned themselves between the Philippine warship and the Chinese fishing vessels "thus preventing the arrests of the erring Chinese fishermen," the statement said. Philippine Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said Wednesday that the situation at the shoal "has not changed as of this morning. There's a standoff."

The BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PF-15) is a patrol frigate of the Philippine Navy. Originally, it was built as a US Coast Guard Hamilton class cutter, known as USCGC Hamilton (WHEC-715) and was transferred to the Philippine Navy on May 13, 2011.

Present situation

The 1992 withdrawal of the United States from its bases in the Philippines, such as Subic Naval Base, forced the Philippine Navy to rely on its own resources. The withdrawal is now largely seen as the inevitable and natural consequence of the end of the Cold War following the collapse of the Warsaw Pact.It also resulted in a security vacuum in the region where tensions owing to deep-seated historic animosities and geopolitical disputes persisted. The pull-out also drew renewed attention to potential flashpoints, such as the Korean Peninsula and the Spratly Islands, that could bring nations into open conflict in the future. These developments hastened the 1995 passage of the AFP Modernization Law by the Philippine Congress whose goal is to strengthen defense capabilities. From Wikipedia

Until the early 1990s, the PLA Navy performed a subordinate role to the PLA Ground Force. Since then, the PLA Navy has undergone a rapid modernization. The PLA Navy is the second largest naval service in the world, only behind the United States Navy. With a personnel strength of over 250,000, the PLAN also includes the 35,000-strong Coastal Defense Force and the 56,000-strong PLA Marine Corps, plus a 56,000-strong PLA Naval Air Force, operating several hundred land-based aircraft and ship-based helicopters. As part of its overall program of naval modernization, the PLA Navy is moving towards the development of a blue-water navy.[1]

The People's Liberation Army Navy has become more prominent in recent years owing to a change in Chinese strategic priorities. The new strategic threats include possible conflict with the United States and/or a resurgent Japan in areas such as the Taiwan Strait or the South China Sea. As part of its overall program of naval modernization, the PLAN has a long-term plan of developing a blue water navy.[1] Current modernizations, however, represent a naval force that is best suited to cooperation rather than competition with other world powers.[22]

Robert D. Kaplan has said that it was the collapse of the Soviet Union that allowed China to transfer resources from its army to its navy and other force projection assets.[23]

China is constructing a major underground nuclearsubmarine base near Sanya, Hainan. In December 2007 the first Type 094 submarine was moved to Sanya.[24]The Daily Telegraph on 1 May 2008 reported that tunnels were being built into hillsides which could be capable of hiding up to 20 nuclear submarines from spy satellites. According to the Western news media the base is reportedly to help China project seapower well into the Pacific Ocean area, including challenging United States naval power.[25][26]

During a 2008 interview with the BBC, Major General Qian Lihua, a senior Chinese defense official, stated that the PLAN aspired to possess a small number of aircraft carriers to allow it to expand China's air defense perimeter.[27] According to Qian the important issue was not whether China had an aircraft carrier, but what it did with it.[27]

At the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the PLAN, 52 vessels were shown in manoeuvres off Qingdao in April 2009 including previously unseen nuclear submarines. The demonstration was seen as a sign of the growing status of China, while the CMC Chairman, Hu Jintao, indicated that China is neither seeking regional hegemony nor entering an arms race.[28]

On 13 January 2009, Adm. Robert F. Willard, head of the U.S. Pacific Command, called the PLAN's modernization "aggressive," and that it raised concerns in the region.[29] On 15 July 2009, Senator Jim Webb of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee declared that only the "United States has both the stature and the national power to confront the obvious imbalance of power that China brings" to situations such as the claims to the Spratly and Paracel islands.[30]

Ronald O'Rourke of the Congressional Research Service writes that the PLAN "continues to exhibit limitations or weaknesses in several areas, including capabilities for sustained operations by larger formations in distant waters, joint operations with other parts of China’s military, C4ISR systems, anti-air warfare (AAW), antisubmarine warfare (ASW), MCM, and a dependence on foreign suppliers for certain key ship components."[31]

In September 2011 the PLAN made further steps to a blue water navy when its first aircraft carrier, the rebuilt ex-Soviet aircraft carrier Varyag, set to sea for its first sea trials.[32]

Japan has raised concerns about the PLAN's growing capability and the lack of transparency as its naval strength keeps on expanding.[33]

China has reportedly entered into service the world's first anti-ship ballistic missile called DF-21D. The potential threat from the DF-21D against U.S. aircraft carriers has reportedly caused major changes in U.S. strategy. Wikipedia